For moviegoers born in the early ‘90s and later who have never borne witness — either as a victim or an observer — to outright racial segregation or prejudice, writer/director Brian Helgeland’s “42” provides a sobering view of the African American struggle for equal treatment as a part of “America’s game.” For those who have experienced such prejudice, the film is a chilling reminder of one of the darkest chapters in American history.

But “42” is also a celebration, for all Americans, of the progress that has been made toward mending racial animosity in recent decades.

While certainly not an exhaustive view of Jackie Robinson’s life or career — the film only covers a few months of history — it is a fitting tribute to the brave men and women — Christians — who, by their commitment to do what they believed was right in the eyes of God and what was best for baseball, gave steam to a movement that ultimately brought equality to America.

In early 1947, Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, an unashamed Christian played by Harrison Ford, decided that it was time. His ball club was going to break the color barrier, regardless of the response.

Robinson, portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, was a UCLA-educated, former second lieutenant in the United States Army and rising star playing shortstop in the Negro League — a perfect candidate for the Dodgers.

Robinson’s baseball acumen was unquestioned, but his self-restraint was. Known for jawing and trash talking on the field, Robinson was not one to take discrimination lying down off of it. To play for the Dodgers however, he would have to.

The film captures that overwhelming prejudice in a way that is as well-done as it is, at times, unsettling to sit through.

The culture war was fought both in the public and within the Dodgers organization. Several players ultimately rejected the notion that an African American could play in the majors and made appropriate career moves.

Perhaps no one hated Robinson’s presence more than Phillies’ manager Ben Chapman, portrayed by Alan Tudyk.

In a scene that just seems to never end, Robinson endures Chapman’s heckling — without a filter and with increasing vulgarity — for three consecutive at-bats.

In an amazing display of restraint amidst a steady barrage of unfathomable hatred, Robinson holds himself together publicly before retreating to the entrance tunnel.

In one of the most emotionally moving scenes of the entire film, Robinson flies into a rage before eventually slumping in a heap, in tears.

But Rickey, taking Robinson in his arms, explains to “Jack” that he is medicine for America, and the game. The back-and-forth between Ford and Boseman throughout the film is rich with feel-good moments like this.

The same can be said for the on screen chemistry between Boseman and Nicole Beharie, who plays the part of Robinson’s wife, Rachel. The romance, which to the satisfaction of conservative audiences is unadulterated by typical Hollywood promiscuity, is warm and believable without being overly cutesy or cheesy.

The film also provides more than a few chuckles. One teammate jokingly suggests to Robinson as they stand before a booing crowd that for the next game, the entire team should wear No. 42 so that the crowd would not be able to tell them apart.

The film does suffer from a handful of small continuity problems however. Several times, screenshots taken of particular events appear in color, which seems out of place considering color photography did not exist in the ‘40s.

As a writer, I appreciated the character of Wendell Smith. Played by Andre Holland, the black sportswriter who chronicled Robinson’s early career. While overall, the exchanges between Holland and Boseman do not have the same quality as those between Boseman and Ford, a scene where Smith describes to Robinson how he is not permitted to sit in the press box is particularly impactful.

Overall, “42” does more than a good job of telling a great story that anyone — sports enthusiast, or not — will enjoy. To the Liberty community, I would say that the movie is worthy of being seen at Regal Cinemas, rather than in a few months when it eventually arrives at Cinemark.

According to a Liberty News Service article, the purpose of “Finding Faith” is to educate families on the dangers of the Internet and to teach children how to not fall prey to online predators. The movie is based on the true story of a teenage girl who was abducted after sharing excessive information with a skilled online predator. The film records the events that take place before, during and after the abduction and features the challenges that the family will face.

The Safe Surfin’ Foundation is led by Sheriff Mike Brown, who holds 42 years of law enforcement experience, in addition to the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). Under Brown’s guidance, the task force has maintained a 100 percent conviction rate per strict guidelines that have targeted active Internet predators.

At an April press conference, Brown shared his goals for the film and the role that ICAC would play.

“To the sexual predator, we are the wolves,” Brown said. “We have, in a number of ways, set the bar for other task forces. For that, I am very proud.”

Thomas Road Baptist Church, Liberty Christian Academy and Liberty University contributed to the project and are highlighted in the film as a result.

“We knew this was the avenue we wanted to go — utilizing Thomas Road and Liberty University for support — and they’ve been great,” Brown said. “We couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

The majority of the people involved in the production were affiliated with Liberty in some way, Jason Campbell, Liberty alumnus and executive producer of the film, said.

Around 400 volunteers were distributed among 12 teams, and more than 200 people were involved in the cast and crew. Some of those teams included prayer and encouragement, food services, production and post-production, wardrobe, set design and construction.
“We had so many people come out the first day of filming that I didn’t know what to do with them all,” Campbell said.

In addition to noted actor Erik Estrada, among those starring in the film is Stephanie Bettcher, a senior worship studies major. Bettcher plays the lead role of Faith Garrett, a 14-year-old teen who finds herself in an unpredictable situation.

“My character, Faith, is the typical teenager,” Bettcher said. “She’s the head cheerleader, popular, loves the Lord, but she is also very into social media — so much so, that I start talking to this guy online who poses as a 16-year-old. It spirals downward from there.”

Because she played a character six years younger than herself, Bettcher had the opportunity to work with a variety of people ranging from all ages.

“A lot of people (who) played my friends in the movie were actually 14, so it was different, but fun,” Bettcher said.

Growing up, Bettcher participated in a variety of theater pieces — from middle school plays to high school productions. However, since coming to Liberty, she has been focusing on singing.

“I do love acting. In fact, doing this movie rekindled some feelings of pursuing it in the future. If God puts an acting job in my lap, I’ll run with it,” Bettcher said.

“Faith’s abduction really hit my character, Ashley, hard and affected the way she acted,” Falwell said. “Because Ashley spent all of her time with Faith, you can imagine how hurt and upset she was when she found out about the abduction.”

Even before the filming for “Finding Faith” had begun, Bettcher and Falwell had formed a friendship through participating in the Virginia Christmas Spectacular productions at Thomas Road together.

Those involved in the film are hoping that it will be a comfort to the public, especially to those who have been affected by online predators.

“I really want this movie to be an encouragement to both Christians and non-believers and to let them know God is there with them through anything that happens, good and bad,” Falwell said.

Bettcher added that in the movie, the Garrett family struggles to unite in such difficult circumstances and realizes the importance of God’s presence in their lives.

“The Garrett family understood that they had to trust God,” Bettcher said. “I believe this movie will be a great resource to those wanting to know more about the dangers of sex trafficking and how to be safe against Internet predators. I’m hoping that it’ll open parents’ and teens’ eyes to be extra cautious.”